1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a hard disk drive (HDD), and more particularly, to structures and methods for connecting a flexible printed circuit and an actuator arm in an HDD, which can improve the productivity of a connecting process thereof over conventional processes.
2. Description of the Related Art
HDDs are auxiliary memory devices for computing devices that can reproduce/record data from/to a disk of the HDD by using a read/write head.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional HDD, and FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a conventional actuator.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a HDD may include at least one or more data storing disks 20, a spindle motor 30 installed on a base plate 10 to rotate the disk 20, and an actuator 40 having a read/write head 41 for reproducing/recording data from/on the disk 20.
The disks 20 may be installed to be spaced apart from one another by a predetermined interval and to be rotatable by the spindle motor 30.
The actuator 40 may be installed to be rotatable on a pivot 47 provided on the base plate 10, and may include an actuator arm 46 having at its center portion a pivot hole 48 for rotatably connecting the actuator arm 46 to the pivot 47. A suspension 44 is installed at one end portion of the actuator arm 46 to elastically bias a slider 42, mounting the read/write head 41, toward a surface of the disk 20. A corresponding voice coil motor (VCM) 50 may be provided in the actuator 40 to supply a driving force for rotating the actuator arm 46. Here, the voice coil motor 50 may have a VCM coil 56 connected to a rear end portion 57 of the actuator arm 46, with magnets 53 and 54 spaced apart from the VCM coil 56 by a predetermined interval.
In this conventional HDD, during the data reproducing/recording operation, a lift force caused by the rotation of the disk 20 and the elastic force generated by the suspension 44 apply to the slider 42 mounting the read/write head 41. Accordingly, the slider 42 can maintain its lift state at a constant height from a surface of the disk 20, through the resultant force of the lift and elastic forces. The head 41 mounted on the slider 42 can then accordingly reproduce/record data from/to the disk 20 while maintaining the constant height from the rotating disk 20.
In small mobile HDDs a flexible printed circuit is connected to the actuator arm 46, as will now be described with reference to FIG. 3.
FIG. 3 illustrates a conventional flexible printed circuit connected to an actuator arm of an HDD, as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,377.
Referring to FIG. 3, the conventional flexible printed circuit 60 has alignment holes 61 and 62 for connecting the circuit 60 to an actuator arm. A corresponding actuator arm has alignment pins formed to correspond to the alignment holes 61 and 62. The alignment pins connected through the alignment holes 61 and 62, such that the flexible printed circuit 60 and the actuator arm can be aligned. Thereafter, the connected portions of the flexible printed circuit 60 and the actuator arm are soldered. In this manner, the flexible printed circuit 60 is fixed to the actuator arm.
In this conventional aligning method, in order to fix the flexible printed circuit 60 to the actuator arm, at least two alignment members and corresponding soldering processes are necessary. However, it is not easy to perform the aligning and soldering processes in such small HDDs due to a limited space within the small HDD. Accordingly, there is a loss in productivity in the connection process of the flexible printed circuit 60 and the actuator arm, i.e., if an alternative connection process could be instituted productivity may actually be increased.
One alternative is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,277, which discusses connecting a flexible printed circuit to an actuator arm by using a screw.
However, this use of such a screw, similarly, cannot fundamentally improve productivity in the connection process of the flexible printed circuit and the actuator arm because of the delays generated from installing the screw.
Accordingly, there is a desire for an improved connection technique for efficiently connecting a flexible printed circuit to an actuator arm in an HDD.